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UAE: All Dubai residents must have health insurance by 31 March

Source: Middle East Insurance Review | Mar 2017

The Dubai government has set a final deadline of 31 March 2017 for employers and sponsors to buy mandatory health insurance for their employees and families, as per a new resolution issued by the Dubai Executive Council.
 
   In addition, visitors to the emirate will need to have health insurance by 31 December 2017.
 
   The resolution states that fines and measures mentioned in the Executive Council Resolution No (7) of 2016 will be applied on employers and sponsors who fail to provide health insurance coverage before the respective deadlines.
 
   The resolution, however, gives authority to Mr Humaid Al Qutami, Director General of Dubai Health Authority (DHA), to extend the deadlines if necessary.
 
   The deadline for mandatory health insurance for employees and their dependents was first set as 30 June 2016 and subsequently postponed to 31 December 2016. After that, the government granted a further extension and stipulated a new deadline of 19 February.
 
   So far, around 98% Dubai residents, including family members and domestic helpers, have already acquired compulsory health insurance.
 
   The resolution states that the Government of Dubai is responsible for providing health insurance coverage for UAE nationals from 1 June 2015, and employers are responsible for providing health insurance coverage for expatriate employees from 1 January 2014.
 
Cover extended to other emirates
Meanwhile, the DHA has directed insurers to ensure that they cover Sharjah and Northern Emirates, reported Khaleej Times.
 
   This order came into effect after the authority received feedback from policyholders who work in Dubai but live in other emirates that they could not make use of the health insurance plan outside Dubai. Abu Dhabi is excluded because the capital emirate has its own compulsory insurance scheme.
 
   Previously, such cover outside Dubai was optional and therefore some companies did not offer insurance outside the emirate, said a senior official from DHA.
 
   Dr Haidar Al Yousuf, Director of Health Funding at DHA, said that the move is a positive one for the health insurance industry, the health sector and for policyholders.
 
   “Many Dubai residence visa-holders live in Sharjah and northern emirates. This mandate ensures they have coverage in the emirate they live in so that they can access healthcare when they need it at a location that is convenient to them,” he said.
 
   Dr Al Yousuf added that it would be more cost-effective for insurers to provide coverage in the northern emirates.
 
 
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